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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Bangladesh: US envoy tours CSISA activity sites in Khulna

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena discusses with local farmers the advantage of new short-duration rice and mustard seeds (11 February).

Dan Mozena, US ambassador to Bangladesh, recently visited activity sites under the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) project at Banshgata Village in the Satkhira District.

CSISA activities in the area aim to test and introduce technologies that will allow farmers to improve their rice production and increase the number of crops they can grow. These technologies are:

Short-duration rice varieties that allow time for farmers to also grow mustard

Mechanized direct-seeding

Improved irrigation equipment, such as the low-lift axial flow pump that uses less fuel

Cultivation of salt- and drought-tolerant varieties of wheat and maize

Improved fertilizer application equipment, such as the urea deep-placement applicator

Improved hatchery management and supply of good-quality fish fry for the community

The program in Banshgata Village involves the participation of about 70 farming families, with an additional 300 farmers indirectly benefiting.

The US ambassador was hosted by the following CSISA staff during his visit: Timothy Russell, IRRI representative for Bangladesh and CSISA-BD chief-of-party; Tim Krupnik, farming systems agronomist, CIMMYT; M.A. Bari, manager, and Kharibul Bashar, consultant, both of the CSISA Seed Project.

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